Generating Leads From LinkedIn – What No One Tells You
LinkedIn€¦ Just the word (at first) made me cringe. I had seen what the site was about and it all looked a bit too fancy schmancy for me. It looked upper class and confusing€¦ but with a little research I've found that it's actually an AMAZING tool that can be used to generate leads.
As with anything else, it's discipline and consistency that will get you where you want to go.. and that's the name of the game with LinkedIn as well.
Now I'm not asking you to become a LinkedIn fanatic, just that you set aside half an hour to an hour per week to work on your LinkedIn profile, groups, page, leads, connections and recommendations. (I know, I know!! What the heck is she talking about???.. Allow me to explain.)
1. Create You Account
This is an obvious Step 1, but in case you haven't created your LinkedIn account I suggest you take a short few minutes to do so now.
Alright, we're back on track then. What you want to do is be specific when you're adding content to your profile. In the €Summary€ section you want to tell people who you are, who you help, and how you help them. Put this in the most basic terms possible, nobody likes to read long-winded bios.
Don't forget your headline, work experience, and specialties. Adding all this information gives your account value.
2. Websites
In the section that asks you to add your websites I suggest you choose €other€ and add your blog but perhaps title it €Network Marketing Tips€. Maybe you want to add your business, do the same thing but choose an eye-catching title that will make people want to click on the link and see what it's all about.
3. Customize
This is an important one! Did you notice that ALL the LinkedIn profiles out there look pretty much the same? BORING! Well, here's where customizing comes in. You can add Apps to your account, such as ReadingList by Amazon, WordPress, and SlideShare Presentations. Why these three? Well, the Amazon app will tell people a little more about you by the books that you read. You can add as many as you like and a nice picture of the book cover pops up when you do so. Adding the WordPress app allows you to import your blog into your LinkedIn account. Finally, the Google Docs app can be used to create a welcome video for your page (something that will definitely make you stand out!).
4. Add New Connections
Set aside 10 or 15 minutes ONE day a week to add new connections to your LinkedIn profile. The top bar when you log in has a section called €Contacts€; hover over that and click on €Add Connections€. You will be able to import contacts from any email address you own. Once you've built a few connections what you do is search THEIR friends for more people to connect with. Pretty simple if you ask me! And it's only going to take 10 or 15 minutes out of your WHOLE week.
5. Getting Leads
Now you've got your account set up, it's customized, and you've connected with a few people. Let's talk about how to get leads. What you want to do is join about a dozen groups (related to your industry) and start a topic in each group. Remember to try and be consistent about this because the responses you get on your topics are the people who will be potential leads. Pick two or three groups per day and start a topic in them. Don't worry!! It can be the exact same topic, so it's all copy and past (5 minutes of work MAX).
Next you're going to go to the €Answers€ page and answer a few questions a week that pertain to your area of expertise; again gauging the answers for potential leads.
6. Recommendations
Recommendations are a big thing on LinkedIn. The more you have, the more you appear to be knowledgeable in your industry. Now, you're not just going to get recommendations out of the blue€¦ the best way to go about this is by GIVING others recommendations because€¦ the more you give, the more you will receive.
Well, there you have it my friends.. I would like to have gone further into details but I do not like to make my blogs too long, so I will save all the €nuggets€ I have picked up from LinkedIn for another time.
As with anything else, it's discipline and consistency that will get you where you want to go.. and that's the name of the game with LinkedIn as well.
Now I'm not asking you to become a LinkedIn fanatic, just that you set aside half an hour to an hour per week to work on your LinkedIn profile, groups, page, leads, connections and recommendations. (I know, I know!! What the heck is she talking about???.. Allow me to explain.)
1. Create You Account
This is an obvious Step 1, but in case you haven't created your LinkedIn account I suggest you take a short few minutes to do so now.
Alright, we're back on track then. What you want to do is be specific when you're adding content to your profile. In the €Summary€ section you want to tell people who you are, who you help, and how you help them. Put this in the most basic terms possible, nobody likes to read long-winded bios.
Don't forget your headline, work experience, and specialties. Adding all this information gives your account value.
2. Websites
In the section that asks you to add your websites I suggest you choose €other€ and add your blog but perhaps title it €Network Marketing Tips€. Maybe you want to add your business, do the same thing but choose an eye-catching title that will make people want to click on the link and see what it's all about.
3. Customize
This is an important one! Did you notice that ALL the LinkedIn profiles out there look pretty much the same? BORING! Well, here's where customizing comes in. You can add Apps to your account, such as ReadingList by Amazon, WordPress, and SlideShare Presentations. Why these three? Well, the Amazon app will tell people a little more about you by the books that you read. You can add as many as you like and a nice picture of the book cover pops up when you do so. Adding the WordPress app allows you to import your blog into your LinkedIn account. Finally, the Google Docs app can be used to create a welcome video for your page (something that will definitely make you stand out!).
4. Add New Connections
Set aside 10 or 15 minutes ONE day a week to add new connections to your LinkedIn profile. The top bar when you log in has a section called €Contacts€; hover over that and click on €Add Connections€. You will be able to import contacts from any email address you own. Once you've built a few connections what you do is search THEIR friends for more people to connect with. Pretty simple if you ask me! And it's only going to take 10 or 15 minutes out of your WHOLE week.
5. Getting Leads
Now you've got your account set up, it's customized, and you've connected with a few people. Let's talk about how to get leads. What you want to do is join about a dozen groups (related to your industry) and start a topic in each group. Remember to try and be consistent about this because the responses you get on your topics are the people who will be potential leads. Pick two or three groups per day and start a topic in them. Don't worry!! It can be the exact same topic, so it's all copy and past (5 minutes of work MAX).
Next you're going to go to the €Answers€ page and answer a few questions a week that pertain to your area of expertise; again gauging the answers for potential leads.
6. Recommendations
Recommendations are a big thing on LinkedIn. The more you have, the more you appear to be knowledgeable in your industry. Now, you're not just going to get recommendations out of the blue€¦ the best way to go about this is by GIVING others recommendations because€¦ the more you give, the more you will receive.
Well, there you have it my friends.. I would like to have gone further into details but I do not like to make my blogs too long, so I will save all the €nuggets€ I have picked up from LinkedIn for another time.